The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-04-07

MARY Mary"
The landlady's voice echoed shrilly
down the deserted hallway of the
Kings Cross hotel.
Deserted, VIC say, for at this time of
the year little travelling patronage was
vouchsafed to Kings Cross.
The postmaster boarded at the hotel,
and the town clerk had room there,
and the farmers dincd there of market
days (Which only came once week.,
but the arrival of real live guest from
the railway station, four miles away,
always created futtcr.
Kings Cross was dreary little
hamlet, scattered, in an inconsequcnt
fashion, along the ragged Maryland
coast, with a round lighthouse, whose
eye of revolving flame glarcd wickcd!y
out to sea of stormy nights; there was IL
bathing beach, moro Or less washed
away by the capricious tides, and an
irregular street of old stone houses and
wooden cottages.
There was apost office, village store,
and an ancient stone church, whose
graveyard, on a steep side hill, seemed
to be slipping down the bank, in sue
ccssion of rude terraces, until its down
ward course was promptly arrested by a
hedge of gnarled and hoarJ yew, at the
foot.
And this was Kings Cross-one of the
oldest and ugliest villages on the Mary
land coast.
MARY! Isay, Mary, where arc you?"
Once more Mrs. Yorhc's voice sent its
cracked burden down the paved hall, and
tall, pretty girl came hurriedly up
through the tall, purple spikes of the
lilac-trees in the back garden.
"Were you calling me, Mrs. Yorkc?
Oh, l am very sorry, but"
calling you" Mrs. York put her
hand plaintively to her throat, and
rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling, by
way of evincing great mental and physi-
cal prostration. calling you'll And
where, may I venture to ask, have you
becn2"
Mary Folyott was pale, violet-eyed
girl, with hair of the real Scotch gold, a
delicate profile, and sen: i i've red lips.
T-I have been to the graveyard"
she murmured, with some wild roses
and white lilies. Oh, Mrs. Yorke, par
don mel I ran both ways; but it was
Decoration Day, and l did not want his
grave to be desolatc and neglected,
while every ono else's was loaded with
flowers"
"Mary Folyott Pm surprised at your
said Mrs. Yorke. "Hes dead and bur
led, and, by all accounts, though Ineve1
saw the young man, you couldn't treat
him decently while he was living.
don't think it signifies much about flow
ers now that he's gone. And you're
here, I beg you to remember, to work
for me, and not to carry flowers to othc,
folkses' gravesl"
Mary Folyott hung her head; but she
was well accustomed to eat the bittel
bread Of dependence.
How brief while ago it was that sh,
was the petted darling of fortune! Now,
orphaned, penniless and alone, she wa.
drudge-in-chief to Mrs. Yorke, of thu
Kings Cross Hotel, her fathers second
cousin.
"Come, make hastel" said Mrs. Yorke
"There's gentleman came in the nine
o'clock stage. He's in Number Nine
teen, and he wants his breakfast, ant
old Cassy's got the toothache, and won
lift finger. Str up some mullins ant
fry some eggs, there's dear, and I'll b.
broiling chicken and getting the coffe,
ready"
Mechanically Mary obeyed. 1t wa
rather monotonous life for girl o
eighteen; but after all Mrs. Yorke wa
fairly kind in her way when there wa
no especial hurry and when Classy, th,
cook, did not aggravatc her, or Mr.
Yorke give way to his particular failin.
of too much Bourbon whiskey.
Mary stood in the cool shadows of tn
vine leaves that veilcd the milk-roon
window, listening to tho rush of the sur
on the shore, and watching the robin
dart in and out of the old button-bal
trees, and stirred the English muffin
with busy fingers, while her thought
went sorrowfully back to the grave unde
the shadow of the yew hedge, where sh
had left the white lilies and the crushed
heap of fragrant roses.
'tNot even q sunbeam !" she had said
rebelliously, as she pushed back tn
gray-g green yew, breaking off tn
branches and bending back the spurs i
g sort of hot anger. HE shall have sun
shine on his grave-to-day, at least"
And as Mary worked, the slow tear
trickled one by one down her check.
She had loved Hugh Derby very deal
ly, but she had coquettish elemen
through her nature--likc most women
] upfortuu ately-and he had pone AWAY I